MANASQUAN – The Manasquan football team added another memorable chapter to its Thanksgiving tradition on Thursday, defeating rival Wall 13-7 at Vic Kubu Warrior Field.
The game was played rainy, muddy conditions and even when the rain stopped in the second half the field had become a quagmire.
Manasquan went into the game with a record of 5-5, while the Crimson Knights were 8-2. The Warriors had lost to three division opponents that Wall defeated by a combined 73 points.
The Warriors not only overcame the playing conditions, but also the loss of their top offensive player, junior running back Ace Etienne, who suffered a serious leg injury early in the game. Etienne, who came into the game with 18 touchdowns, was hurt on a hard tackle along the sidelines midway through the first quarter.
Dylan Lu set the tone for the remainder of the game for the Warriors, jumping on a missed Wall lateral pass in the end zone for a Manasquan touchdown.
While the Warriors managed to establish a running game behind the Manasquan offensive line and running backs Lu and Dax Klein, the Crimson Knight offense could literally never get its footing.
A one-yard quarterback keeper by Matt Antonucci on fourth down gave Manasquan a 13-0 lead at the half.
Manasquan held the lead until late in the fourth quarter when Brian McKenna connected with Heath Reinhardt for a 31-yard touchdown with 1:54 left in the fourth quarter.
The Crimson Knights would get one final chance at a comeback after recovering a Warriors fumble, but the Manasquan defense again made a stop locking up a memorable victory.
